


intersections, interactions

by mixtape1



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, M/M, changbin is the encouraging friend, idk hyunjin is just . trying, jisung clowns hyunjin, nothing big happens its just 4k of hj wishing they were friends lmao, seungmin is a plant boy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-06-29 22:46:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19840090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mixtape1/pseuds/mixtape1
Summary: “I do not have a crush on the boy who lives a floor above who also happens to have a really cute smile and really pretty eyes and a lovely voice and-”He paused, realization apparent in the knowing looks of his best friends staring at him.“Fuck,” he uncharacteristically cursed and groaned into his hands. “I have a crush on him.”-or. the one where hyunjin has a crush on his neighbour from the floor above and has a few failed interactions with him.





	intersections, interactions

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this in like. 3 days wtf

Hyunjin wouldn’t say he’s acquainted with all his neighbours, just a select few living on his floor and next to him. 

However, if you asked whether he knows the cute boy living on the floor right above him, he’d nod and say _maybe_ with a shy smile. 

It’s not that they’re close, or that they've had an actual conversation more than once (the total count so far was still zero) but cute boy isn’t unaware of his existence. 

In fact, he seems to be more than aware.

* * *

There’s how, when cute boy had first moved in (he only knew of this because Jisung is _nosy_ ), Hyunjin couldn’t concentrate on his work at all because there’d always be loud music playing from the room directly above his. 

To make matters worse, his desk was right against the wall, below the window. His past neighbour would never play music out loud like that, and even if she did, Hyunjin could never hear it. 

The change had been severely unwelcomed, and Hyunjin was ready to _lose_ it as he had to listen to various loud arrangement of instruments every night and whilst the songs were good, he couldn’t get shit done. 

That was how he ended up in front of his new neighbour (was he really if they weren’t actually living side by side?)’s door with a strong determination to ensure his quality of life would return back to normal. 

Now, Hyunjin hadn’t seen this particular new boy ever since he had moved in - which was like a week ago, so he didn’t know what to expect. 

Jisung had kept his appearance a total secret too, only grinning slyly when Hyunjin had asked.

Just as he had been about to knock, the door opened and Hyunjin instinctively took a step back. 

Eyes trailing over the boy’s face while moving was not a good idea as he both emotionally and physically fell. 

“Oh my gosh, are you okay?” Immediately, his neighbour (cute boy, number 922, sunshine, puppy - the list went on) went to his side and checked up on him. 

“I- I’m fine.” Hyunjin had stuttered out, like the absolute fool he was and with the boy’s face so _damn_ close and eyes wide with worry and - what was _that_? Stars? - you can’t really blame him. 

Once they were both standing again, Hyunjin cleared his throat, mentally trying to erase cute boy’s memory of him falling down with his non existence mind powers. 

“Did you need something?” Cute boy had spoken up, and that’s when Hyunjin noticed he was carrying a bag and fidgeting. 

Maybe he had to go to school?

“Um - I guess you’re in a rush so I’ll make this quick,” Hyunjin had to fight the urge to pet the boy’s hair because you don’t just run your hand through some stranger’s fluffy looking hair. “I live downstairs and the music can be heard from where I am, so I’d really appreciate if you could turn it down.” 

He sounded so serious it had made himself wince. Hopefully he hadn’t come off as too harsh. 

“You-” The boy had opened his mouth, eyes narrowed and for a second Hyunjin thought _uh oh this is it_ , but he closed it and after what looked like a deep thought, continued seeming more relaxed. “Sure, sorry about that. Didn’t know the sound travelled so well.” 

Trying his best not to griminace at the very obvious fake smile he got in return, Hyunjin had nodded and waved, opting to take the stairs back to his apartment because it would have been horrible if they were stuck in a lift together. 

(Not that they live on that high levels anyway, cute boy being on the third while he’s on the second.) 

When he had recounted that encounter to Jisung, his dear friend had laughed his ass off, even throwing in a knee slap when his _pain_ and _suffering_ wasn’t that funny. 

“He hates you dude.” Jisung had said, through heavy wheezes. 

And for a while, Hyunjin had believed that. 

Until a month later, when they had their second encounter.

* * *

Hyunjin isn’t the best at taking care of himself, others and well, just living things in general. How he managed to keep Kkami alive since he was sixteen had been (and still is) a mystery to both his family and Jisung when he came over to his parent’s house for the first time ever. 

So when Changbin had gifted him plants, _really_ tiny ones, for his birthday, he immediately pushed them away. 

“I’m allergic to plants!” 

Changbin had scoffed, pressed the two potted living green things into his stomach and demanded he take care of them. 

That had been how Hyunjin ended up with two little pots outside his apartment, which look so out of place anybody who wasn’t living on his floor would’ve mistaken them as trash. 

Jisung almost tripped over them once, and while Hyunjin didn’t really try to maintain them, they were a gift. 

(“Then maybe you should put them in your room instead of the public space, clown.”

“Shut up I don’t have anywhere to put them.”

“They’re literally the size of my hand.”)

And due to his negligence and immunity to them, he kind of forgot they were even there at some point. 

To both his and his friend’s astonishment, they hadn’t died. 

When Changbin came over a while after his birthday, he had questioned Hyunjin why his gifts were outside and later, in a softer and more confused voice asked how they were still alive. 

Hyunjin, who wasn’t aware of the lifespan of plants simply thought they would survive without any water. 

“You mean you haven’t been watering them?” Changbin asked, in complete disbelief. 

“Was I supposed to?” 

Slapping a hand onto his face, Changbin sat down on his couch and groaned. “I should’ve given you clothes instead.”

“It’s fine, isn't it? They’re thriving and it’s been like, two weeks.” 

“Maybe Jisung’s watering them for you.” 

“He almost tripped over them the other day, I don’t think so.”

That was how they were convinced somebody was watering Hyunjin’s plants (affectionately named ‘Hyun’ and ‘Jin’) and they decided to find out _who_. 

It was also how Jisung ended up in the mess, because he thought it was fun and they ended up waiting by Hyunjin’s door and looking through the peephole every time footsteps could be heard. 

They continued doing this for a few days, to the point where Hyunjin would just laugh every time Jisung and Changbin scurried from where they would be seated in the living room to the door, standing on their tiptoes. 

After endless waiting - whenever they could, the culprit was actually caught in the action of things. 

It had been a total coincidence, and Hyunijn was actually about to open his door when he heard someone _talking_ on the other side.

Initially, he had thought it was Jisung trying to scare him but after taking a peek, he found himself looking at cute boy from the floor above crouched down sprinkling water onto Hyun and Jin. 

He had been whispering to them, smiling slightly with eyes wide and sparkling and Hyunjin couldn’t bring himself to get out even though he was running late.

When he was done, he stood up, and to Hyunjin’s surprise - walked back up to his floor. 

That meant cute plant boy would come to water his plants for no reason. He would do it just for the sake of keeping them alive and Hyunjin found that terribly endearing.

“So he likes your plants but doesn’t like you?” Changbin confirmed when they were all together in their university’s Starbucks as Hyunjin shared his discovery. 

“No!” He denied, very loudly, and laughed nervously when people stared. “I don’t think he has an opinion of me… unlike what Jisung says.”

“I’m positive he hates your guts, like for real.” 

“We only had one whole interaction, there’s no way.” Hyunjin whined, hitting Jisung’s arm for trying to continue his ‘Hyujin’s neighbour hates him’ agenda. 

“Don’t worry, he likes you enough to water your plants.” Changbin intervened, acting like the oldest among them for once.

“Maybe I should write a note to thank him? He stopped playing music loudly too - I’m going to write him a note.” 

Jisung and Changbin simply sighed at Hyunjin deciding things on his own and waved him off. Naturally, he remained unbothered as he was already (very badly) tearing out a page from his notebook. 

A beat of silence, and Hyunjin stilled.

“Do you guys know his name?”

“I don’t even live in the same building as you two.” Changbin replied, amused. 

When he looked at Jisung, he simply shrugged and Hyunjin ran a hand through his hair. He could just skip the greeting with name part. 

The moment he was done decorating his note, he grinned as he showed it off to his friends. 

“It looks like a ten year old made it.” Jisung had commented, earning another hit to the arm. “But it’s _great_ , I’m sure he’ll love it.” 

Changbin nodded, making a sarcastic response into a genuine one.

“Awesome, should I slide it under his door or..?” 

That would’ve been slightly cliche, but he didn’t want to do it face to face, lest he make a fool out of himself again.

“Why not pass it to him in person when he waters your plants?” Changbin suggested, and Jisung immediately lit up.

He knew what was coming.

“Hyunjin doesn’t want to do that because he’s just gonna trip on air again and look like an idiot.” 

“It was one time, let it go Han Jisung,” he scowled, although even he could feel it held no real bite. “But yeah, that’s out of the question.”

“I mean… if you end up looking like a loser maybe it’ll make him laugh.” Always the more accommodating and serious one, despite the situation not being that troubling, Changbin continued to give relatively good suggestions. 

Well, anything is good compared to Jisung’s help. 

“I bet he has a cute laugh.” Hyunjin found himself saying and _sighing dreamily_ just thinking about it before he could stop himself.

“Gross, you like him.” 

“I do _not_ have a crush on the boy who lives a floor above who also happens to have a really cute smile and really pretty eyes and a lovely voice _and_ -” 

He paused, realization apparent in the knowing looks of his best friends staring at him.

“Fuck,” he uncharacteristically cursed and groaned into his hands. “I have a crush on him.”

“It’s probably just eye candy, or whatever the term is, you don’t know him anyway.” Jisung patted his back in an attempt to make him feel better. 

_But I want to get to know him_ , Hyunjin found himself thinking at that time. 

Understanding the topic should be changed, Changbin brought up his assignment and the conversation shifted, as Hyunjin drowned in the murmurs of his friends talking about music. 

It helped distract him from his problem (was it really?) of liking his neighbour who, according to the most unreliable source ever, hated him. 

Said neighbour was also, like the same source said, someone whom he didn’t even know. 

They were just neighbours, and not even _directly_. 

The only connection they have - at the moment, were his plants. 

And maybe the note. 

Yes, the note. 

If they don’t have any sort of way to interact, Hyunjin would just have to get his head out of his ass and talk to the guy.

Easy peasy. 

_Easy peasy my ass._

He was currently stood outside door number 922 and shaking in his boots. Passing a note to someone never seemed so difficult in his life.

Standing outside for five minutes, he considered just going back down and screaming into a pillow for being useless when he heard footsteps from the stairs. 

_Shit, shit, shit_ , he had thought. 

There was nowhere to run, except to the lift and god he was so screwed.

 _Abort mission_ , his alarm bells rang out as he pressed the down button of the lift repeatedly, hoping it would magically go from _shit_ \- the 20th floor to the 3rd in a second. 

Of course, that didn’t happen and when cute boy (of course it had been him) appeared, Hyunjin’s brain short circuited.

Sure, it had been spring, but who gave cute plant boy the _right_ to look so cute in his outfit that he could only describe as dandy. 

And cute. 

So cute that Hyunjin thought he was going to sink onto the floor and lay there motionless. 

A crinkle of paper and he realized how hard he was squeezing his note, devastated that it was now messed up.

“Um… you live on the floor below me right…? Did you need something?” Cute boy softly spoke up, breaking the one sided tension and Hyunjin wanted to die. 

“I- Uh- You see-” Hyunjin fumbled, eyeing the lift and decided, you only live once. 

He took one big step, passed the crumpled note to cute boy and scurried into the lift as the doors opened in perfect timing. 

“That’s for you!” He called out, just as the doors closed. 

In the lift, he had ignored the other person inside and knocked his head onto the wall. 

That must’ve been the most embarrassing thing Hyunjin had ever done. 

It was also their second encounter face to face.

* * *

After passing cute boy the note, the three of them never really brought him up again. Since they found out who was keeping Hyunjin’s plants alive, they didn’t care as much anymore. 

Hyunjin didn’t have time to find out if cute boy was still doing the duty of watering them anyway, being swarmed with endless group projects and assignments due. 

In the blink of an eye, he finished his first year in college. 

With all the free time, Hyunjin and his two friends (they weren’t his only ones, he was just the most comfortable around them) decided to hang out almost everyday. 

On the certain day of their third encounter, Hyunjin had been late.

Horrendously late.

They were to meet at 12pm, sharp, and well. 

Hyunjin woke up at 12pm.

Sharp. 

He had practically flown out of bed and forwent showering, disgusting as it may have been.

It was the first time he had felt himself in such a panic, even when he woke up late for his classes he still took his time. 

But this was an important day as they were to watch a movie Hyunjin had been _dying_ to see and the show was in an hour. 

Sending quick texts to his friends letting him know he was on his way, he cursed at Jisung for not waking him up.

They were neighbours! Why didn’t they think to go together?

As he pulled open his front door with a force he didn’t know he possessed, he stopped in his tracks at the sound of a beautiful melody.

Crouched down and looking tiny was cute boy. 

The voice of an angel briefly registered in his mind, until he stopped singing to stare at Hyunjin and his ears - much to his amusement, turned red from being caught.

“Are you singing to my plants?” Hyunjin found himself asking before he could stop himself.

Movie be damned. 

“I-” Cute boy had started, flustered and nibbled on his lip.

“Yeah, I was.” Guess he gave up trying to think of an excuse. “What about it?”

Knowing he was trying to challenge Hyunjin, for god knows what, he couldn’t help the smile that formed on his face.

“I think it’s cute.” 

“ _What_?” Cute boy had squawked, voice going an octave higher.

“I thought your singing was cute, you have a nice voice and I’m in a rush but thanks for everything. Hyun and Jin probably love you.”

Before he could catch cute boy’s reaction, Hyunjin locked his door and rushed down the steps, two at a time and ran for the bus.

In the end, he still missed the movie and had to wait for Changbin and Jisung to finish. 

Which was perfect, as he spent the entire two hours thinking about how lovely cute boy’s singing was. 

He also could not get the sight of his ears turning red out of his head, and the way his eyes widened when Hyunjin made eye contact with him.

Endearing. 

That’s what it had been.

That’s what cute boy was, and he found it harder and harder to quit thinking about him, especially since he had so much free time now.

Although it had been one of their shorter encounters, Hyunjin felt that it taught him a lot of things about cute boy.

Like the way he clearly loves plants, and the way his ears turn red when embarrassed, and the way he can sing like an angel, and the way he has Hyunjin’s heart.

All those had not been enough, and he was desperate to find out more.

It was almost as if fate didn’t want them to be friends, and anything further than that as they still haven’t had a single conversation.

He’s always the one leaving first, Hyunjin realized.

How on Earth was he going to get a proper conversation in if they never seemed to intersect at the right timing?

Furthermore, it seemed like they had completely different schedules as they never once saw each other in the lift lobby.

Not like they took the lift anyway, Hyunjin lives on the second floor. Changbin would never let him live if he had to take the lift for that. 

Still, he wondered what being stuck in a lift with cute boy would be like anyway.

(When Changbin and Jisung came back from the movie, they made faces of disgust, pointing out how Hyunjin was so red.)

* * *

Despite what he had mentioned about never taking the lift, it happened regardless.

Honestly, the day had started off well, he woke up by himself and didn’t have to rush for anything. 

He took his time getting ready, making a list of things he’d need for his little walk. There was no destination, he’d just be wandering around the streets of Seoul, exploring. 

But then Jisung had messaged him, asking him to go up to the 14th floor to pass him and his friend (someone whom Hyunjin didn’t know) something. 

Although he had sighed, rather dramatically, he took the spare key Jisung had given him and retrieved the Monopoly set of all things from where it had been kept on a shelf. 

After passing it to him, he was waiting for the lift and when it arrived, he caught a glance of familiar looking hair through the transparent glass and almost turned away.

Except he didn’t, because Hyunjin had been waiting for an opportunity like this and he would not waste it.

So he bravely took a step inside, and tried to ignore how it was just the two of them.

As the doors closed, Hyunjin noticed the camera slung around cute boy’s neck, brainstorming ways to bring it up.

Right when he had finally figured out a good way to start the conversation, the lift had the decency to shake and the lights actually flickered.

If he had been with Changbin, he’d be yelling with him by now.

Alas, he was with cute boy who was looking in a worse condition than he had been. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Hyunjin quietly asked, so he wouldn’t accidentally startle his companion. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. This lift has never broken down before.”

Actually, he had no idea. 

And like he’s some sort of joke in a comedy show, the lift screeched to a halt and the lights died out. 

“Well- That’s why I take the stairs.” 

Except his joke hadn’t been accepted with laughter as Hyunjin heard a loud thud and fumbled to take his phone out. 

Using the flashlight, he found cute boy on the floor, shaking like a leaf and holding onto the railing above him for dear life.

Uh oh.

Again, if it had been Changbin, they would be freaking out together but cute boy is not Seo Changbin and he needs his help.

Unsure of what to do, Hyunjin sat down next to him, and decided to just let his instincts guide him.

“Hey, hey,” he whispered, rubbing circles onto cute boy’s back, hoping it wasn’t too much of an invasion of his personal space. “Everything will be okay.”

For a while, he simply repeated that statement as his hands never stopped and it thankfully helped cute boy stop shaking.

“I’m gonna go press the alarm bell now, okay?” 

Cute boy had nodded, albeit obviously a little breathless and shifted slightly to let Hyunjin pass. 

Holding it, he waited until a good fifteen seconds passed and sat back down to cute boy, afraid he would get nervous again.

“Is it okay if I hold your hand? That always calms me down.” Hyunjin asked, extending his hand and waited for a response.

Not everybody liked physical touch to ground them, so he politely waited and was genuinely surprised when the warm feeling of cute boy’s hand landed on his palm.

“Thank you.”

Smiling and hoping cute boy could see it, he whispered back, “Don’t sweat it, I’m always here to help.”

They sat still and held hands for a few minutes, and Hyunjin rubbed his knuckles, knowing it would help.

“Do you like taking pictures?” 

Finding the silence deafening while the atmosphere was finally peaceful, he decided to say what was on his mind.

“Oh… yeah. I was on the roof earlier.” 

That explained why he was in the lift going down. 

“You should show me your pictures sometime,” Hyunjin grinned, despite knowing it was probably too dark to see with his flashlight turned off. 

“I bet they’re pretty just like y-”

Unfortunately, he never got to finish his sentence as light shone on them from outside, and cute boy gently pulled his hand away from Hyunjin’s.

It would’ve hurt more if he had pulled away quickly, but it still _hurt_ because cute boy was so considerate. 

“Are you two okay? We’re going to get you out of there now!” Someone who Hyunjin assumed was the rescue team or whatever shouted and he yelled back with acknowledgement. 

Just like that, they were back to safety and Jisung had come running to him.

“Hyunjin! I’m never asking you to do anything ever again.” 

He had chuckled, amused.

“Good, next time you can go get your own stuff and get trapped in the lift yourself.”

Hyunjin looked around for cute boy after Jisung released him from his death grip and felt his heart sink when he was nowhere to be found.

Understandable, he thought. It was a traumatic experience after all.

Instead of taking that walk, Hyunjin ended up back in his apartment googling ways to stop a crush on forming on someone you barely know.

The results had been useless and he held his head in his hands as he thought of more ways to talk to cute boy.

He also wondered, more than once, if he was okay.

For a second, he considered writing _another_ note, but ultimately shook that thought away. He didn’t want to seem pushy. 

With that, came the end of his fourth encounter.

Even though they didn’t talk as much, Hyunjin was glad he was able to help cute boy in some form of way. 

Everybody had their own fears, and if he managed to distract cute boy away from them, then he was happy enough.

* * *

In the span of two months, those four things happened.

It might seem like it wasn’t much, but Hyunjin actually believes it’s a great start. Optimism is always welcomed. Jisung calls him too positive, but really, Hyunjin is starting to think he should be grateful for every encounter.

And even though he doesn’t know his name yet, and will continue to refer to cute boy as cute boy, Hyunjin is content. 

Okay, not really. 

However, it _is_ a lot more than he would’ve expected.

So when he receives a letter, carefully slid under his door on the morning of the first day of the new school year, he makes a noise of disbelief.

At first, he thinks Jisung is playing a prank on him.

Until he sees a drawing of a sunflower on the envelope. 

Instantly, he smiles and physically _can not_ stop himself as he reads the carefully decorated letter.

The handwriting is pretty, and Hyunjin coos at the amount of dog stickers and hand drawn flowers on the paper.

He gets so giddy from it he ends up sticking the letter onto his fridge and every time he walks past (he’s walked passed it five times now for no reason) a grin makes its way onto his face. 

> _dear neighbor (or hyunjin? i don’t know.),_
> 
> _i am writing just to inform you that i have received the note from two weeks ago, and have read it. i’m glad my music doesn’t seem to bother you anymore. following your advice, i turned it down._
> 
> _(would just like to mention that if you want, i’d like to recommend day6 - a band. they’re the group i was constantly playing.)_
> 
> _honestly, i wasn’t planning on watering your plants for so long, but seeing as you obviously neglected them, i decided to keep at it. may i add, it would probably be better to keep them where the sun shines. and no, i do not count._
> 
> _if you don’t, i might just steal them away from you and rename them to seung and min._
> 
> _that is my name by the way, it’s kim seungmin. not sunshine, cute boy or cute plant boy. although those names are flattering, so thanks._
> 
> _another thing i’d like to thank you for was helping me back when the lift decided to die on us. i’m claustrophobic, so having you there really saved me._
> 
> _thanks again._
> 
> _included with this letter is a bag of tomato seeds that you’ll probably be able to grow and not butcher. please do your best in growing them and ensure they get watered daily._
> 
> _i want to be friends too._
> 
> _so write me back when you can._
> 
> _(p.s. I think you’re cute too.)_
> 
> _sincerely,  
>  cute plant boy_

If Seungmin is upset over the fact that there are more plants to water now, he never says anything about it in the next letter he gives Hyunjin. 

(And if Hyunjin notices how Seungmin’s smile is ten times brighter with the new addition, he _does_ include it in his letter, telling him how much his smile is adored.)

**Author's Note:**

> hope u have a lovely day if ur reading this :>
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/owoaus)  
> [cc](curiouscat.me/owoaus)


End file.
